KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs hope to have Kareem Hunt on the field in the next couple of weeks, once the veteran running back is able to get up to speed with the offense, and help them absorb the loss of Isiah Pacheco to a potentially season-ending ankle injury.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid indicated Wednesday that it was unlikely Hunt could help the Chiefs this weekend, when they hit the road for the first time to play Atlanta. But he did not discount Hunt from playing soon afterward, especially if he can relearn the route concepts and verbiage that he first learned while spending his first two seasons in Kansas City.
“I want to see where he’s at. I want to see him working today,” Reid said. “See where he’s at and I’ll be able to judge better.”
Hunt signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad Tuesday, two days after Pacheco hurt his ankle in the closing minutes of their 26-25 win over Cincinnati. Pacheco was due to have surgery Wednesday and it remained unclear how long he will be out.
The Chiefs will likely lean on undrafted rookie Carson Steele and journeyman Samaje Perine on Sunday night against the Falcons, though they also brought third-year pro Keaontay Ingram up from the practice squad to provide some depth.
“He had a really good camp for us. We felt comfortable him moving up,” Reid said. “If you get moved up, you’re expected to be ready to play, and I think he’s done that. He’s worked hard on the scout team part of it.”
The scout team is where Hunt will begin this week as he continues a career that has come full-circle in many ways.
The Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2017 out of Toledo, and he immediately made an impact, running for a league-high 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He came back the following season, the first with Patrick Mahomes as the starter at quarterback, and ran for 824 yards and seven touchdowns through the first 11 games.
But that November, video surfaced that showed Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her in the hall of a Cleveland hotel. The Chiefs released him, though no charges were filed when the woman stopped cooperating with authorities.
Hunt signed with the Browns and served an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal- conduct policy. He became a significant part of their backfield, running for 2,285 yards and five touchdowns over the past five years.
“A guy that plays hard, plays physical. Catches the ball out of the backfield. Still has explosion in between the tackles,” said Mahomes, who was part of the same 2017 draft class as Hunt, and has remained close friends with him.
In fact, Hunt attended Mahomes’ wedding and the two spoke frequently during his time in Cleveland.
“I just root for the person, to keep becoming a better and better person,” Mahomes said. “I’m glad to have him back in the building. I gave him a high-five and a hug when I saw him, because he’s a person I spent a lot of time with a long time ago.”
Also, Mahomes said he was unsure whether rookie Kingsley Suamataia would start at left tackle against Atlanta after he was benched last weekend. Suamataia struggled to contain Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and was called for a couple of penalties, and Reid ultimately replaced him with Wanya Morris late in the game.
Morris also committed a penalty that nearly cost the Chiefs dearly on the drive that set up their winning field goal.
“I don’t make those decisions, at the end of the day,” Mahomes said. “I have a lot of trust in both of those guys. Kingsley had good snaps and bad snaps; that’s part of being a rookie and going against a good pass rusher. ... Wanya is getting better and better. I think the coaches will at the end of the day make a determination that is best for the team.”
